Neb. Legislature OKs Athlete Pay Proposal

Published 8:00 pm, Thursday, April 10, 2003

A proposal to pay Nebraska football players passed the Legislature on Friday in a reduced form that allows the university to determine which athletes would receive payments.

The bill will apply to all athletes at the university competing in the Big 12 sports, but payments would be at the discretion of the school. Also, the bill would be triggered only if four other states with schools in the Big 12 Conference pass similar laws.

A similar proposal has been introduced in Texas. Other states in the conference are Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, and Iowa.

Bill sponsor Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha said his intention was never to actually have schools pay players. He said he wanted to pressure the NCAA to change its rules limiting how much a student can receive in scholarships and aid, and earn through outside work.

Passage of the bill will ensure that the NCAA will be pressured to get more money to athletes, Chambers said.

The NCAA said it was sensitive to Chambers' concerns. However, if Nebraska's players were paid, they would violate the extra-benefits rule and, thus, be ineligible, NCAA spokesman Wally Renfro said in February.

Gov. Mike Johanns has said he would sign the bill into law if passed. The Legislature passed a similar bill in 1988, but it was vetoed by then-Gov. Kay Orr.